Concealed Diamonds: jyrkkis

Janikka · September 2, 2018

I learned that this player is currently a free agent. My own team has enough defenders but maybe someone else's doesn't. Jyrkkis entered my awareness in 2010. He and his friend TehhAhola joined my EASHL club at the time. A lot of his traits that have carried over to this day were already evident. The 15-year-old kid was a relaxed, even docile person, which I thought a bit unusual for a guy his age. My conception of most teen boys was a petulant and disagreeable guy hopped up on Euroshopper energy drinks. If memory serves, it was only once that I ever really witnessed a truly testy jyrkkis. He'd been assigned the task of babysitting some relative, a little girl I think it was. You know how those really young kids can get, especially if you're just trying to chill with some EASHL, so it was understandable even if out of character for jyrkkis.

Jyrkkis was always a very mentally predictable guy. He's not stupid, not in the least, but with him you always know what you're going to get. He's never petty and he steers clear of any drama. He has never let ego get in the way. He can be stern when needed, but never in a way that's offensive or annoying to others. All that makes him one of the best team players I've ever encountered.

It's not just the persona, though, that inspired me to write this and try to convince some good team out there to give jyrkkis a try. He has developed into an excellent player. He's a small name in the community, but I truly believe he's an elite player who belongs in some of the toughest matchups in the ECL. I don't think he's the flashiest defender. That sounds like something you might say about someone who's actually not that good, but that's not the case here. Jyrkkis at his best, which is amazingly often, brings a similar predictability in his game that he does in his character. He's predictably solid. My latest season with him was with Gotham Knights. I'm known to make plenty of thoughtless decisions that cost a penalty or a goal against my team. Countless times jyrkkis was there to patch things up. Like a guardian angel he'd descend upon the play and stop our team from suffering the consequences of my actions. As a defensive partner, you always know what he's up to because he's right where you want him to be.

While I've focused on defense, jyrkkis's offensive contribution deserves to be considered. "Optimal" is the first word that comes to mind. To be blunt, jyrkkis doesn't really come up with the sort of game changing moves you'll see from the very top-end defenders like vatalisti and such. But he has an excellent knack for getting his team across the offensive blue line and once there, his decisions on the puck are intelligent. I would have to say defense is the standout part of jyrkkis's game but you'll definitely appreciate his offense as well.

So there you have it. That's jyrkkis, the guy and the player I've had the pleasure of knowing for all these years. Wherever he ends up, I hope to one day see all that ability translate into recognition in the community. Because to me, that's long overdue with this guy.